Cities Of Joy

Last year, the South African city of Cape Town was in the news for running out of water. It managed to avert Day Zero, but the threat has not disappeared. With changing climate, more cities across the world will face similar crises. But there are a few metropolises that have overcome water shortage despite heavy odds. Though these cities still need to keep adapting and innovating, they have done well so far. Here's how they did it

- Sushmita Sengupta

BERLIN: GROUNDWATER RECHARGE IS KEY

The capital city of Germany is located in the country’s dry northeastern region and receives around 600 mm of annual rainfall. Yet it has managed to sustain on its groundwater, and not using surface water at all. It has done so by planning and managing its water resource for over a century now. In the 1890s, the city implemented artificial groundwater recharge techniques, such as bank filtration, to increase drinking water production. In this method, surface water is infiltrated into the groundwater by extracting it from near a water body. Since the 1980s, it has also encouraged “Green Roofs” (covering a conventional roof with a layer of vegetation planted over a waterproofing membrane to absorb rainwater). Between 1989 and 2008, it reduced its water demand by 50 per cent, says Prit Salian, a water and sanitation specialist at i-Salan a UK-based organisation, in a study. The city also treats its wastewater to add to its water reserves.

MELBOURNE: RATIONS ITS WAY OUT OF TROUBLE